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Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS): Relief tailored for your pain

Boston Scientific’s proven SCS therapy can be personalized to deliver the lasting relief you need — where and when you need it.

Our Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) is:
• Safe
• Drug-free
• FDA-approved
• Clinically proven to provide long-term relief from chronic pain

How does SCS work?

You feel pain when nerves send pain signals through your spinal cord to your brain.

Your Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) System is designed to interrupt these signals so you don’t perceive them as pain.

Stimulator

A small device called a spinal cord stimulator is implanted under the skin. 

Leads
Thin, flexible “leads” are connected to the spinal cord stimulator and placed near specific nerves in the back. 

Pulses
The spinal cord stimulator sends mild pulses through the leads to the nerves. 

Pain
The pulses interrupt the pain signals on the way to the brain.

See how SCS works

Watch our animated SCS guide.

Who should get a Spinal Cord Stimulator?

SCS therapy is used to treat different kinds of chronic pain – pain lasting six months or more. This can include pain in the back, legs, and feet, or a combination of different pain areas.

Boston Scientific SCS Systems are indicated for people with the following pain conditions:

(See complete indications and contraindications here.) A pain management specialist can tell you if SCS therapy may be right for you.

Why Choose Boston Scientific Spinal Cord Stimulation

WaveWriter Alpha™ Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) System

The right therapy, right where you need it



Winner Best Overall Medical Device Solution

Choose tingling or non-tingling stimulation, or a combination of both.

Multiple therapy options for personalized relief

There are different kinds of SCS therapies. 

Some therapies replace your pain with a tingling sensation. Others use a type of stimulation you don't feel at all.

With the WaveWriter Alpha SCS System, you can choose the therapy that works best for you — or use both at the same time.

Boston Scientific SCS Systems deliver multiple therapies simultaneously and have been clinically proven to provide greater relief from chronic pain.1

Rapid and profound relief with FAST™ Therapy

The WaveWriter Alpha SCS System features Boston Scientific’s unique, non-tingling FAST Therapy. While other SCS Systems use therapies that can take days to “wash in”, FAST Therapy is designed to provide immediate relief. In a recent clinical study, patients using FAST Therapy went from an average pain score of 6.5 to an average of 1.3 in a matter of minutes.2

And, because FAST Therapy uses less energy than other forms of non-tingling therapy, it may help to reduce the amount of charging you have to do or to extend the life of a non-rechargeable system.3

Watch real patients describe going from pain to relief in minutes.

The right option now, and for the future

FULL BODY MRI**:

The WaveWriter Alpha SCS System allows for conditional full body MRI scans.

BATTERY OPTIONS: 

Spinal cord stimulators are powered by batteries that are either rechargeable or non-rechargeable. Your doctor will help you choose which one is best for you. The WaveWriter Alpha SCS System offers both rechargeable and non-rechargeable stimulators, so you can choose the battery that fits your therapy needs.

With four WaveWriter Alpha stimulators to chose from, your doctor will help you decide which one best suits your lifestyle needs.

Get back to everyday activities

Effectively managing your pain can help you get back to enjoying many of the little things in life you’ve missed. In a clinical study, patients using the Boston Scientific SCS therapy offered in the WaveWriter Alpha SCS System reported a greater improvement in their ability to do everyday activities† than patients reported in other studies using non-Boston Scientific SCS Systems.4,5,6

The WaveWriter Alpha SCS System’s non-tingling therapy options can be used while driving or sleeping.

Learn more about the real world experience and clinical proof of the effectiveness of Boston Scientific's SCS therapy →

Try your relief first

Before committing to SCS, find out if it will work for you by taking it for a “test drive” with a temporary trial system.

Learn About the SCS Trial 

Real success stories

Chris

“Boston Scientific offers a lot of options—a paresthesia or a nonparesthesia—and I chose paresthesia. I was hurting for so long, I didn’t want to just not feel anything. It’s very personal. It’s what helps you.”

Watch Chris' Story

Gregory

“I really feel that my pain relief has been personalized to me just because of the different settings that I have with my stimulator.”

Watch Gregory's Story

Karen

“The settings can be ones where you can feel the paresthesia or you don’t feel anything at all. For me, the settings that address my pain the most are the ones that I don’t feel any of the paresthesia, but that flexibility is very comforting.”

Watch Karen's Story

Neil

“When the stimulator was turned on, I had tears of joy running down both cheeks.”

Watch Neil's Story

Mary

“From the moment that I got the device in the trial, for the first time in years I felt immediate relief. It felt like I had a new lease on life.”

Watch Mary's Story

Talk to a real patient living with SCS therapy

Connect with real people living with pain and hear about their experience finding lasting relief by using a Boston Scientific solution.

Contact an Ambassador

Top 5 questions about SCS

Hear answers to the questions we get asked most often about SCS.

Learn More About the SCS Process

Learn about SCS with the mySCS™ App

 A free app designed to help patients during their SCS trial. You'll find helpful articles and resources on SCS for wherever you are on your journey.

Explore the mySCS App 

Wondering if SCS may be right for you?

Take this quick quiz and find out. ⟶

*Paresthesia-free stimulation has been shown to be safe and effective in patients who have been treated successfully with paresthesia-inducing stimulation for at least 6 months.

**MRI conditional when all conditions of use are met.

†As measured by the Oswestry Disability Index at 3 months post implant.

References:  1. North, James, MD. WHISPER: A Multicenter, Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Subperception SCS at ≤ 1.2 kHz. Presentation at North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS), Las Vegas, NV, January 11-14, 2018. (N=70)  2. Clark S. Metzger, M. Blake Hammond, Jose F. Paz-Solis, William J. Newton, Simon J. Thomson, Yu Pei, Roshini Jain, Michael Moffitt, Luca Annecchino & Que Doan (2021) A novel fast-acting sub-perception spinal cord stimulation therapy enables rapid onset of analgesia in patients with chronic pain, Expert Review of Medical Devices, DOI: 10.1080/17434440.2021.1890580. (N=41)  3. FAST MOA computational modeling by Dr. Warren Grill’s lab at Duke University. Gilbert et al., Computational modeling predicts dorsal columns are involved in fast-acting sub-perception spinal cord stimulation (SCS). SFN 2021.  4. Wallace M. et al. Outcomes of a Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial Utilizing a Spinal Cord System Capable of Multiple Neurostimulation Modalities (COMBO). NANS Annual Meeting. January 2020 (N=89) 5. Kapural, Cong Yu, et al. Novel 10-kHz High-frequency Therapy (HF10 Therapy) Is Superior to Traditional Low-frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Back and Leg Pain: The SENZA-RCT Randomized Controlled Trial. Anesthesiology 2015; 123:851 -860 6. Deer, Timothy, et al. Success Using Neuromodulation With BURST (SUNBURST) Study: Results From a Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial Using a Novel Burst Waveform. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. 21. 10.1111/ner.12698  7. Thomson SJ, Kruglov D, Duarte RV. A spinal cord stimulation service review from a single centre using a single manufacturer over a 7.5 year follow-up period. Neuromodulation. 2017;20(6):589-599. N=321

The patient quotes in this material describe real personal experiences. Individual results may vary. Patients can experience different levels of pain management and different changes in their activities and use of medications. Consult with your physician to determine if you are a candidate for this procedure and what you may gain from the therapy.

Results from different clinical investigations are not directly comparable. Information provided for educational purposes only.

Results from clinical studies are not predictive of results in other studies. Results in other studies may vary.

Indications for Use: The Boston Scientific Spinal Cord Stimulator Systems are indicated as an aid in the management of chronic intractable pain of the trunk and/or limbs including unilateral or bilateral pain associated with the following: failed back surgery syndrome, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) Types I and II, intractable low back pain and leg pain, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of the lower extremities, radicular pain syndrome, radiculopathies resulting in pain secondary to failed back syndrome or herniated disc, epidural fibrosis, degenerative disc disease (herniated disc pain refractory to conservative and surgical interventions), arachnoiditis, multiple back surgeries. The Boston Scientific Spectra WaveWriter™, WaveWriter Alpha™ and WaveWriter Alpha™ Prime SCS Systems are also indicated as an aid in the management of chronic intractable unilateral or bilateral low back and leg pain without prior back surgery.

Contraindications. The Spinal Cord Stimulator systems are not for patients who are unable to operate the system, have failed trial stimulation by failing to receive effective pain relief, are poor surgical candidates, or are pregnant.

MR Conditional symbol

Boston Scientific’s ImageReady™ MRI Technology makes safe MRI head scans possible. Patients implanted with the Precision Spectra™ or Spectra WaveWriter™ Spinal Cord Stimulator Systems with ImageReady™ MRI Technology are "MR Conditional" only when exposed to the MRI environment under the specific conditions defined in the applicable ImageReady™ MRI Head Only Guidelines for Precision Spectra™ or Spectra WaveWriter™ Spinal Cord Stimulator Systems.

MR Conditional symbolBoston Scientific’s ImageReady™ MRI Full Body Technology makes safe MRI scans possible. The Precision Montage™ MRI, WaveWriter Alpha™ and WaveWriter Alpha™ Prime SCS Systems with ImageReady™ MRI Full Body Technology are “MR Conditional” only when exposed to the MRI environment under the specific conditions defined in the applicable ImageReady™ MRI Full Body Guidelines for Precision Montage™ MRI or WaveWriter Alpha™ and WaveWriter Alpha™ Prime Spinal Cord Stimulator Systems.

Warnings. Patients implanted with Boston Scientific Spinal Cord Stimulator Systems without ImageReady™ MRI Technology should not be exposed to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Exposure to MRI may result in dislodgement of the stimulator or leads, heating of the stimulator, severe damage to the stimulator electronics and an uncomfortable or jolting sensation. As a Spinal Cord Stimulation patient, you should not have diathermy as either a treatment for a medical condition or as part of a surgical procedure. Strong electromagnetic fields, such as power generators or theft detection systems, can potentially turn the stimulator off, or cause uncomfortable jolting stimulation. The system should not be charged while sleeping. The Spinal Cord Stimulator system may interfere with the operation of implanted sensing stimulators such as pacemakers or implanted cardiac defibrillators. Advise your physician that you have a Spinal Cord Stimulator before going through with other implantable device therapies so that medical decisions can be made and appropriate safety measures taken. Patients using therapy that generates paresthesia should not operate motorized vehicles such as automobiles or potentially dangerous machinery and equipment with the stimulation on. Stimulation must be turned off first in such cases. For therapy that does not generate paresthesia (i.e. subperception therapy) it is less likely that sudden stimulation changes resulting in distraction could occur while having stimulation on when operating moving vehicles, machinery, and equipment. Your doctor may be able to provide additional information on the Boston Scientific Spinal Cord Stimulator systems.  For complete indications for use, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and side effects, call 866.360.4747 or visit Pain.com. Caution: U.S. Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.

Indications for Use: The Superion™ Indirect Decompression System (IDS) is indicated to treat skeletally mature patients suffering from pain, numbness, and/or cramping in the legs (neurogenic intermittent claudication) secondary to a diagnosis of moderate degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis, with or without Grade 1 spondylolisthesis, having radiographic evidence of thickened ligamentum flavum, narrowed lateral recess, and/or central canal or foraminal narrowing. The Superion™ Interspinous Spacer is indicated for those patients with impaired physical function who experience relief in flexion from symptoms of leg/buttock/groin pain, with or without back pain, who have undergone at least 6 months of non-operative treatment. The Superion Interspinous Spacer may be implanted at one or two adjacent lumbar levels in patients in whom treatment is indicated at no more than two levels, from L1 to L5. Contraindications, warnings, precautions, side effects. The Superion Indirect Decompression System (IDS) is contraindicated for patients who: have spinal anatomy that prevent implantation of the device or cause the device to be unstable in situ (i.e., degenerative spondylolisthesis greater than grade 1), Cauda equina syndrome, or prior decompression or fusion at the index level, scoliosis or spinous process fractures, osteoporosis, infection, allergy or reaction to any metal or implant or a high Body Mass Index. Avoid strenuous activity for 6 weeks after surgery, contact your physician if there is fluid leaking from your incision, if you have pain, swelling or numbness in your legs or buttocks or if you fall. Refer to the Instructions for Use provided on www.vertiflex.com for additional Indications for Use, contraindications information and potential adverse effects, warnings, and precautions prior to using this product. Caution: U.S. Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.

Indications for Use: The Boston Scientific Radiofrequency Generators, associated Radiofrequency Lesion Probes and RF Cannula are indicated for use in procedures to create radiofrequency lesions for the treatment of pain or for lesioning nerve tissue for functional neurosurgical procedures. The Boston Scientific RF Injection Electrodes are used for percutaneous nerve blocks with local anesthetic solution for radiofrequency lesioning of peripheral nerve tissue only. The Boston Scientific LCED and Stereotactic TCD Electrodes are indicated for use in radiofrequency (RF) heat lesioning of nervous tissue including the Central Nervous System.

Warnings: The Boston Scientific RF devices may cause interference with active devices such as neurostimulators, cardiac pacemakers, and defibrillators. Interference may affect the action of these active devices or may damage them. For appropriate guidance, consult the instructions for use for these active devices. Caution: U.S. Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.

§The physician locator tool identifies pain management specialists in your area who have met certain qualifying criteria and are experienced with one or more of Boston Scientific pain management therapies. All treatment options should be discussed thoroughly with a pain management specialist.